Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
United States Weather Bureau (Helena, Mont.) records, 1867-1989
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- United States Weather Bureau (Helena, Mont.)
- Title
- United States Weather Bureau (Helena, Mont.) records
- Dates
- 1867-1989 (inclusive)18671989
- Quantity
- 12.6 linear feet
- Collection Number
- MC 396 (collection)
- Summary
- This collection consists of records created by the Helena office of the United States Weather Bureau, and includes outgoing correspondence, reports, and clippings.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
The first National Weather Service was created in 1870, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law a joint Resolution by the Congress of the United States that required the Secretary of War to provide for taking meteorological observations and informing coastal areas of oncoming storms. This was originally part of the U.S. Army Signal Service, and was named The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce. The military would handle weather reporting for 21 years, simply reporting on the weather, and not conducting much in the way of meteorological science.
In 1891 the responsibilities of the Division of Telegrams and Reports was transferred to the Department of Agriculture’s Weather Bureau by an act of Congress where it would remain until 1940. During its time as part of the Department of Agriculture, the job of the Weather Bureau evolved. In 1910 it began issuing weekly weather outlooks for agricultural planning, and began assessing available water for irrigation. In 1914 an aerological section was established to meet the need of aviation, and by 1918 it began issuing forecast for military and domestic flights.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt transferred the Weather Bureau to the Department of Commerce, its current location at time of writing, in 1940. In 1942 the weather bureau received 25 surplus aircraft radar sets, the first weather radars that the Bureau possessed. In 1960 the United States launched the world’s first weather satellite, TIROS I, and follow it up with TIROS II allowing for new heights in weather observation and analysis. In 1965 the Environmental Science Services Administration or ESSA was created, which incorporated several agencies together. In 1970 this became the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Weather Bureau underwent a name change, becoming the National Weather Service. The mission of the National Weather Service is to provide weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy.
The U.S. Weather Bureau Helena station was initially located, between April 1880 and May 1881, at the Parchen Building on Broadway Street. Between June 1881 and January 1884, the station was located at the Brown Block, at the corner of Warren and Breckenridge. Between January 1884 and April 1940, the station was located at a total of 6 different locations: the second floor of the John T. Murray Building, the Montana National Bank Building, the fifth floor of the Power Block at Main and 6th Avenue, the first floor of the residence at 200 Seventh Avenue, the sixth floor of the Power Building, and the then-new wing of the Federal Office Building at the intersection of 6th and Park Avenues. Its final location, from April 30, 1940 until its closure was in the Helena Municipal Airport Administration Building.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of records created by the Helena office of the United States Weather Bureau, and includes outgoing correspondence, reports, miscellany, and clippings. The correspondence in this collection is comprised of a single bound volume of correspondence (1882-1883) to Commanders-in-Charge Lieutenants G.S. Grimes and C.A. Booth regarding weather observations, reports, and forms. Reports, though found in several different formats throughout the collection, primarily concern weather observations at the Helena, Montana station from 1871 to 1989. Of particular additional interest are the voluntary weather observations sent in from stations around the state.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
[item description and date]. Name of Collection. Collection Number. [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by series, the largest of which is the Reports series. Reports are arranged into three areas, the first is miscellaneous reports, i.e. those reports which did not seem to mesh with the following two report types/subject areas (Boxes 1 through 3). The next report grouping is the broad base meteorological reports that, despite taking several different forms that change over the years, all seem to contain the same types of data (found in Boxes 4 through 19). Finally, weather logs created by volunteers from various areas around the state are arranged alphabetically, and can be found in Boxes 20 through 23.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
CorrespondenceReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | Outgoing (Correspondents include: Lieutenant G. S.
Grimes and Lieutenant C.A. Booth) |
1882-1883 |
ReportsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 2 | "Book in which Designated Forms and annual and
Tabulated Reports are to be copied at Signal Stations," A.W. Greeley |
1890-1894 |
1 / 3 | "Book in which Designated Forms and annual and
Tabulated Reports are to be copied at Signal Stations," A.W. Greeley |
1895-1896 |
1 / 4 | Daily Weather Log |
1880-1882 |
1 / 5 | Daily Weather Log |
1882-1886 |
1 / 6 | Daily Weather Log |
1890-1893 |
1 / 7 | Daily Weather Log |
1895-1897 |
1 / 8 | Daily Weather Log |
1900-1903 |
2 / 1 | Daily Journal, Fort Custer, Mont. (Daily Weather
Log) |
1891-1892 |
2 / 2 | "Forms July 1898 - December 1901" (Weather
Log) |
1898-1901 |
2 / 3 | "Forms January 1902 - May 1908" (Miscellaneous Weather
Logs) |
1902-1908 |
2 / 4 | "Havre 1904, 1905, 1917 Forms 1006 Met'l" (Weather
Log) |
1904-1905, 1917 |
2 / 5 | "Line Journal, Fort Custer, Mont." [Line
Log] |
1885-1889 |
2 / 6 | "Means book" (Weather log) |
1900-1904 |
2 / 7 | "Means Book, Monthly and Annual Meteorological
Summaries" (Weather logs) |
1880-1899 |
2 / 8 | "Memorandum" (Daily activity log) |
1929 July- 1932 November |
2 / 9 | Monthly precipitation normal log |
1913 January - 1916 January |
3 / 1 | Monthly Weather Logs, Fort Benton, Montana |
1917 October -1930 December |
3 / 2 | "Record of Monthly Meteorological Report, Form 113A"
Helena, Montana |
1881 December- 1885 July |
3 / 3 | "War Department, Signal Service Meteorological Summary
, Fort Assiniboine, Montana" (Weather Log) |
1888-1904 |
3 / 4 | Fort Benton, Montana (Weather Logs) |
1931-1939 |
3 / 5 | "Weekly Meteorological Record" |
1880 April- 1881 October |
3 / 6 | "Station Expenses" |
1897-1902 |
4 / 1 | "Record of Monthly Meteorological Report" |
1885 August- 1888 July |
4 / 2 | "Record of Monthly Meteorological Report" |
1888 August- 1889 June |
4 / 3 | "Original Record of Meteorological
Observations" |
1889 July- 1892 June |
4 / 4 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1892 July-December |
4 / 5 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1893 |
4 / 6 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1894 |
4 / 7 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1895 |
4 / 8 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1896 |
4 / 9 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1897 |
4 / 10 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1898 |
4 / 11 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1899 |
4 / 12 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1900 |
5 / 1 - 5 / 8 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1901-1908 |
6 / 1 - 6 / 3 | "Original Record of (Meteorological)
Observations" |
1909-1911 |
7 / 1 - 7 / 6 | "Forms 1001, 1002, and 1014 Met'l" (Weather
Logs) |
1912-1914, 1929, 1932-1933 |
8 / 1 - 8 / 14 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1951 January- 1953 September |
9 / 1 - 9 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1953 October- 1960 July |
10 / 1 - 10 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1960 October- 1963 July |
11 / 1 - 11 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1963 October- 1966 July |
12 / 1 - 12 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1966 October- 1969 July |
13 / 1 - 13 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1969 October- 1972 July |
14 / 1 - 14 / 11 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1972 October- 1975 April |
15 / 1 - 15 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1975 July- 1978 March |
16 / 1 - 16 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1978 April- 1981 March |
17 / 1 - 17 / 11 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1981 April- 1983 October |
18 / 1 - 18 / 12 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1984 January- 1986 December |
19 / 1 - 19 / 11 | "Surface Weather Observations" |
1987 January- 1989 July |
20 / 1 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Adel,
Montana |
1898-1909 |
20 / 2 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Anaconda, Montana |
1902-1908 |
20 / 3 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Augusta, Montana |
1897-1904 |
20 / 4 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Big
Timber, Montana |
1896-1902 |
20 / 5 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Billings, Montana |
1883-1908 |
20 / 6 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Boulder, Montana |
1893-1907 |
20 / 7 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Bozeman, Montana |
1893-1909 |
20 / 8 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Broadwater, Montana |
1907-1908 |
20 / 9 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Busby,
Montana |
1903-1908 |
20 / 10 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Butte,
Montana |
1895-1908 |
21 / 1 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Crow
Agency, Montana |
1880-1897 |
21 / 2 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Crow
Agency, Montana |
1899-1908 |
21 / 3 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Decker,
Montana |
1905-1908 |
21 / 4 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Dillon,
Montana |
1895-1909 |
21 / 5 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Fallon,
Montana |
1905-1908 |
21 / 6 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Forsyth, Montana |
1905-1908 |
21 / 7 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Glasgow, Montana |
1894-1908 |
21 / 8 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Glendive, Montana |
1890-1908 |
21 / 9 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Graham,
Montana |
1906-1908 |
21 / 10 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Great
Falls, Montana |
1892-1908 |
22 / 1 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Livingston, Montana |
1892-1908 |
22 / 2 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Lodgegrass, Montana |
1905-1908 |
22 / 3 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Miles
City and Fort Keogh, Montana |
1877-1896 |
22 / 4 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Miles
City and Fort Keogh |
1897-1908 |
22 / 5 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Missoula, Montana |
1871-1889 |
22 / 6 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Missoula, Montana |
1897-1908 |
22 / 7 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Nye,
Montana |
1906-1908 |
22 / 8 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Poplar,
Montana |
1884-1901 |
22 / 9 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Red
Lodge, Montana |
1896-1909 |
22 / 10 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Ridgelawn |
1901-1907 |
23 / 1 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records,"
Springbook |
1902-1909 |
23 / 2 | "Voluntary Observer's Meteorological Records," Yale,
Montana |
1898-1907 |
23 / 3 | "Annual Meteorological Summary of Voluntary
Observations" |
1896-1901 |
Volume | ||
1 | "Monthly Summaries of Voluntary Observers'
Meteorological Reports" |
1870-1887 |
MiscellanyReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
23 / 4 | Helena, Montana Station History |
1880-1949 |
ClippingsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
23 / 5 | Weather Scrapbook |
1924 |
23 / 6 | Weather Scrapbook |
1931 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Montana--Climate
- United States. Weather Bureau
Corporate Names
- United States Weather Bureau (Helena, Mont.) (creator)
Geographical Names
- Helena (Mont.)